Electromagnetically actuated sorter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9371193-B2
Application number	US-201314078289-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2013
Priority date	Nov 12, 2013
Publication date	Jun 21, 2016
Grant date	Jun 21, 2016

Abstract

A sorting conveyor having electromagnetically actuated rollers for sorting articles off one or both sides of the conveyor. A linear stator creates a magnetic flux wave that rotates rotors in the article-supporting rollers and selects their direction of rotation. In one version the magnetic flux wave swivels the rollers to change the sorting direction. In another version the magnetic flux wave causes one set of rollers or another set of orthogonally disposed rollers to contact conveyed articles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sorter comprising:
a platform;
a plurality of rollers supported by the platform, at least some of the rollers having rotors rotated about axes of rotation by interaction of the rotors with a magnetic flux wave;
a plurality of armature elements supported by the platform and movable with the plurality of rollers, wherein the armature elements are moved by interaction with a magnetic flux wave;
a linear stator propagating a magnetic flux wave across the platform, the magnetic flux wave interacting with the rotors and the armature elements;
a controller controlling the amplitude and propagation direction of the magnetic flux wave to selectively rotate the rollers having rotors and to selectively move the armature elements so that articles conveyed atop the rollers are pushed by the rollers in selected sorting directions.

2. A sorter as in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of cradles supported by the platform and pivotable about a vertical axis, wherein the rollers are supported in the cradles.

3. A sorter as in claim 2 wherein the armature elements are attached to the cradles and the magnetic flux wave causes the cradles to pivot about the vertical axis to change the orientation of the axes of rotation of the rollers and the sorting direction.

4. A sorter as in claim 1 wherein the plurality of rollers includes long rollers having rotors rotatable about axes of rotation parallel to a first direction and short rollers rotatable about axes of rotation parallel to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the armature elements are coupled to the short rollers to selectively move the short rollers between a first level above the level of the long rollers to move conveyed articles in the first direction atop the short rollers and a second level below the level of the long rollers to move conveyed articles in the second direction atop the long rollers.

5. A sorter comprising:
a platform;
a plurality of roller assemblies supported by the platform, each of the roller assemblies including:
a cradle pivotable about a vertical axis and having an armature element pivoting the cradle by interaction of the armature element with a magnetic flux wave;
a roller supported in the cradle and having a rotor rotated about an axis of rotation by interaction of the rotor with a magnetic flux wave;

a linear stator propagating a magnetic flux wave across the platform, the magnetic flux wave interacting with the rotors to rotate the rollers about their axes of rotation and with the armature elements to pivot the cradles and orient the axes of rotation of the rollers.

6. A sorter as in claim 5 wherein the rotors are electrically conductive and form induction motors with the stator.

7. A sorter as in claim 5 wherein the rotors include poles made of a ferrous material and form variable reluctance motors with the stator.

8. A sorter as in claim 5 wherein the rotors include permanent magnets and form synchronous motors with the stator.

9. A sorter as in claim 5 wherein the armature elements are electrically conductive and form induction motors with the stator.

10. A sorter as in claim 5 wherein the armature elements include poles made of a ferrous material and form variable reluctance motors with the stator.

11. A sorter as in claim 5 wherein the armature elements include permanent magnets and form synchronous motors with the stator.

12. A sorter as in claim 5 further comprising fixed detents associated with each of the roller assemblies and wherein each cradle include a plunger that pivots with the cradle and that is received in one or another of the detents to set the axis of rotation of the roller.

13. A sorter as in claim 12 further comprising stops at each end of the detents to limit the angular pivot range of the cradle.

14. A sorter comprising:
a platform having a length and a width;
a first plurality of rollers supported by the platform and having rotors rotated about a first axial direction by interaction of the rotors with a magnetic flux wave;
a second plurality of rollers supported by the platform for rotation about a second axial direction perpendicular to the first axial direction, wherein the second plurality of rollers have armature elements that are moved by interaction with a magnetic flux wave to move the second plurality of rollers between a first level above the level of the first plurality of rollers and a second level below the level of the first plurality of rollers;
a linear stator propagating a magnetic flux wave traveling along the second axial direction and through the first and second pluralities of rollers;
wherein the magnetic flux wave interacts with the rotors to rotate the first plurality of rollers about the first axial direction and with the armature elements to move the second plurality of rollers to the second level below the level of the first plurality of rollers.

15. A sorter as in claim 14 wherein the rollers of the first plurality of rollers are aligned in first lanes across the width of the platform and the rollers of the second plurality of rollers are aligned in alternating second lanes across the width of the platform.

16. A sorter as in claim 14 further comprising springs biasing the second plurality of rollers up toward the first level above the level of the first plurality of rollers.

17. A sorter as in claim 16 wherein the springs push the second plurality of rollers up to the first level when the linear stator is de-energized and the magnetic flux wave is absent.

18. A sorter as in claim 14 wherein the axial length of the first plurality of rollers is longer than the axial length of the second plurality of rollers.

19. A sorter as in claim 14 wherein the first plurality of rollers have high-friction outer surfaces.

20. A sorter as in claim 14 wherein the second plurality of rollers include rotors and the linear stator propagates a second magnetic flux wave through the second plurality of rollers along the first axial direction that interacts with the rotors of the second plurality of rollers to rotate the second plurality of rollers about the second axial direction.

21. A sorter as in claim 14 wherein the rotors are electrically conductive and form induction motors with the stator.

22. A sorter as in claim 14 wherein the rotors include poles made of a ferrous material and form variable reluctance motors with the stator.

23. A sorter as in claim 14 wherein the rotors include permanent magnets and form synchronous motors with the stator.

Assignees

• Laitram Llc

Inventors

• Ragan Bryant G

Classifications

• B65G47/54

  at least one of which is a roller-way · CPC title

• B65G47/53 Primary

  between conveyors which cross one another · CPC title

• B65G39/08

  the rollers being magnetic · CPC title